New Old Spice

There's an amazing ad campaign going on as we speak and it doesn't involve TV, radio, print or billboards. It's entirely viral, entirely made for YouTube, entirely learned about from social networking sites and word of mouth.

And it's hot!

It's an ad campaign for Old Spice, a men's aftershave that I remember my father using and an aroma I'll forever associate with 'old guys.' This campaign clearly plans to bring Old Spice into today.

Go to You Tube and you'll see these very funny virals. The Old Spice guy, wearing only a towel, is capital S sexy, deadpan, arrogant, and incredibly charming, all at the same time. I want to bring him home.

The next amazing part of this campaign is real-time, rollicking responses to questions posted online by users of Facebook and Twitter. Backed by a team of gifted writers, the Old Spice Guy responds to both celebrities and mainstream people like you and me. His responses, like the virals, are deadpan and deliciously funny. 

This campaign rocks. The Old Spice Guy is a new icon. Women are drooling, men are laughing and everyone is watching. Most of all, this campaign speaks to the universal power and attraction of social networking. For anyone who still resists Facebook and Twitter, I think it's Ted Turner who has just the quote for you: "Get on board or get out of the way." Just as the internet itself changed our lives, so is social networking changing the way we communicate in our lives.

Little kids, people in their 80s, and all in between are jumping on this bandwagon and with good reason. First of all, it's real time, no emailing waits; it's as fast as a phone conversation. Second, it's free - no texting charges. Third, it's where we're going; no, it's where we are already.

What social networking isn't, is only social. It's now a recognized and highly touted business marketing tool being used by all forward thinking businesses to promote what they need to promote.

So if you've resisted, give it up. Join, post, read, learn, influence, watch, laugh, have fun. Make your own viral. Start your own group. Talk to your sister in Kamloops and that hot guy from your dating website in Singapore. Embrace this wave or be left in its wake.

The Old Spice Guy is just the beginning. And who knows? Maybe the men in my world will start smelling like my Dad. (Please, please don't let that happen!)